England

My first stop was Gary's place near London. I stopped for a few days before Prague to get used to Europe and a new time zone before I got used to working my ass off! (thanks for the hospitality Gaz!)

Here's Gaz, Spike and myself at their local: The RAF wouldn't take me...color blind...

The front of Hampton Court Palace:

There are more castles in England than people care to see, well British people anyway, but I can't get enough of castles. Europe is soon to be at my fingertips and I have never been so excited in all my life!

Crater Lake

Next on the list was Crater Lake, the deepest lake in the United States. This place is something else. I have been to dozens of national parks now, but each time I go to a new one it forces my memories of the previous one into the depths of my memory. The United States has, without a doubt, some of the most incredible natural places in the world! Crater Lake blew my mind!

This perfectly round, deep blue lake with Mt. Thielsen keeping watch from the north may well be the most peaceful body of water I've ever set eyes upon. Wizard Island sits like a stolid sentinel in the middle of the lake. We hiked to the top of a peak called The Watchman to get a proper view of the lake and the surrounding area. And after about fifteen minutes of marveling at it we decided we had to get closer.

We ambled around the edge of the lake until we reached a trail near Cleetwood Cove that went down to the shore. I nearly ran down the trail as the allure of the sparkling blue lake was pulling me in like a tractor beam. When I got there I immediately noticed a large boulder near the edge that hung over the lake about ten feet.

Patrick and I after a dive:

I stripped down to my swimming trunks (which I had stashed in my backpack) and dove in. The water was frankly freezing, but very refreshing. Patrick and Shane jumped in also. I repeated this activity probably eight times before heading back up the trail and into the shade of the forest.